Reporters and pundits should be held responsible for reporting the truth. There should be some mechanism in place to verify the facts of a quote before it is attributed to someone. Even if there is a retraction, we know that the McCain camp never pulls an ad even when it's proven to be based on a lie. Furthermore, fewer folks always see the retraction than see the original statement.
Instead of asking "Who is Barack Obama?" John McCain should have been asking, "Who Is Sarah Palin?"
The charges included costs for hotel and commercial flights for three daughters to join Palin to watch their father in a snowmobile race, and a trip to New York, where the governor attended a five-hour conference and stayed with 17-year-old Bristol for five days and four nights in a luxury hotel.
In all, Palin has charged the state $21,012 for her three daughters' 64 one-way and 12 round-trip commercial flights since she took office in December 2006. In some other cases, she has charged the state for hotel rooms for the girls.
Alaska law does not specifically address expenses for a governor's children. The law allows for payment of expenses for anyone conducting official state business.
As governor, Palin justified having the state pay for the travel of her daughters — Bristol, 17; Willow, 14; and Piper, 7 — by noting on travel forms that the girls had been invited to attend or participate in events on the governor's schedule.
But some organizers of these events said they were surprised when the Palin children showed up uninvited, or said they agreed to a request by the governor to allow the children to attend.
Several other organizers said the children merely accompanied their mother and did not participate. The trips enabled Palin, whose main state office is in the capital of Juneau, to spend more time with her children.
"She said any event she can take her kids to is an event she tries to attend," said Jennifer McCarthy, who helped organize the June 2007 Family Day Celebration picnic in Ketchikan that Piper attended with her parents.
State Finance Director Kim Garnero told The Associated Press she has not reviewed the Palins' travel expense forms, so she could not say whether the daughters' travel with their mother would meet the definition of official business.
On Aug. 6, three weeks before Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain chose Palin his running mate, and after Alaska reporters asked for the records, Palin ordered changes to previously filed expense reports for her daughters' travel.
In the amended reports, Palin added phrases such as "First Family attending" and "First Family invited" to explain the girls' attendance.
"The governor said, 'I want the purpose and the reason for this travel to be clear,'" said Linda Perez, state director of administrative services.
When Palin released her family's tax records as part of her vice presidential campaign, some tax experts questioned why she did not report the children's state travel reimbursements as income.
The Palins released a review by a Washington attorney who said state law allows the children's travel expenses to be reimbursed and not taxed when they conduct official state business.
Taylor Griffin, a McCain-Palin campaign spokesman, said Palin followed state policy allowing governors to charge for their children's travel. He said the governor's office has invitations requesting the family to attend some events, but he said he did not have them to provide.
In October 2007, Palin brought daughter Bristol along on a trip to New York for a women's leadership conference. Plane tickets from Anchorage to La Guardia Airport for $1,385.11 were billed to the state, records show, and mother and daughter shared a room for four nights at the $707.29-per-night Essex House hotel, which overlooks Central Park.
The event's organizers said Palin asked if she could bring her daughter.
Alexis Gelber, who organized Newsweek's Third Annual Women & Leadership Conference, said she does not know how Bristol ended up attending. Gelber said invitees usually attend alone, but some ask if they can bring a relative or friend.
Griffin, the campaign spokesman, said he believes someone with the event personally sent an e-mail to Bristol inviting her, but he did not have it to provide. Records show Palin also met with Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Goldman Sachs representatives and visited the New York Stock Exchange.
In January, the governor, Willow and Piper showed up at the Alaska Symphony of Seafood Buffet, an Anchorage gala to announce winners of an earlier seafood competition.
"She was just there," said James Browning, executive director of Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, which runs the event. Griffin said the governor's office received an invitation that was not specifically addressed to anyone.
When Palin amended her children's expense reports, she listed a role for the two girls at the function — "to draw two separate raffle tickets."
In the original travel form, Palin listed a number of events that her children attended and said they were there "in official capacity helping." She did not identify any specific roles for the girls.
In July, the governor charged the state $2,741.26 to take Bristol and Piper to Philadelphia for a meeting of the National Governors Association. The girls had their own room for five nights at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel for $215.46 a night, expense records show.
Expense forms describe the girls' official purpose as "NGA Governor's Youth Programs and family activities." But those programs were activities designed to keep children busy, a service provided by the NGA to accommodate governors and their families, NGA spokeswoman Jodi Omear said.
In addition to the commercial flights, the children have traveled dozens of times with Palin on a state plane. For these flights, the total cost of operating the plane, at $971 an hour, was about $55,000, according to state flight logs. The cost of operating the state plane does not increase when the children join their mother.
The organizer of an American Heart Association luncheon on Feb. 15 in Fairbanks said Palin asked to bring daughter Piper to the event, and the organizer said she was surprised when Palin showed up with daughters Willow and Bristol as well.
The three Palin daughters shared a room separate from their mother at the Princess Lodge in Fairbanks for two nights, at a cost to the state of $129 per night.
The luncheon took place before Palin's husband, Todd, finished fourth in the 2,000-mile Iron Dog snowmobile race, also in Fairbanks. The family greeted him at the finish line.
When Palin showed up at the luncheon with not just Piper but also Willow and Bristol, organizers had to scramble to make room at the main table, said Janet Bartels, who set up the event.
"When it's the governor, you just make it happen," she said.
The state is already reviewing nearly $17,000 in per diem payments to Palin for more than 300 nights she slept at her own home, 40 miles from her satellite office in Anchorage.
Tony Knowles, a Democratic former governor of Alaska who lost to Palin in a 2006 bid to reclaim the job, said he never charged the state for his three children's commercial flights or claimed their travel as official state business.
Knowles, who was governor from 1994 to 2002, is the only other recent Alaska governor who had school-age children while in office.
"There was no valid reason for the children to be along on state business," said Knowles, a supporter of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. "I cannot recall any instance during my eight years as governor where it would have been appropriate to claim they performed state business."
Knowles said he brought his children to one NGA event while in office but didn't charge the state for their trip.
In February 2007, the three girls flew from Juneau to Anchorage on Alaska Airlines. Palin charged the state for the $519.30 round-trip ticket for each girl, and noted on the expense form that the daughters accompanied her to "open the start of the Iron Dog race."
The children and their mother then watched as Todd Palin and other racers started the competition, which Todd won that year. Palin later had the relevant expense forms changed to describe the girls' business as "First Family official starter for the start of the Iron Dog race."
The Palins began charging the state for commercial flights after the governor kept a 2006 campaign promise to sell a jet bought by her predecessor.
Palin put the jet up for sale on eBay, a move she later trumpeted in her star-making speech at the Republican National Convention, and it was ultimately sold by the state at a loss.
That left only one high-performance aircraft deemed safe enough for her to use — a 1980 twin-engine King Air assigned to the public safety agency but, according to flight logs, out of service for maintenance and repairs about a third of the time Palin has been governor.
Well let’s get to it. Let me begin by stating that I am no Joe the Plumber, not even close.
I am a retired educator from a battleground state (Ohio), which has suffered yet another plant closing, living in a state now where 40% of homes are in foreclosure. I support Senator Barack Obama because he is the real deal.
I just heard a Republican surrogate criticize Barack Obama saying that he was not qualified to be president because he did not travel to Afghanistan.
Now let me tell you, I spent most of my career working and counseling in the inner city of Cleveland Ohio. From my perspective, until John McCain travels to Hough, Glenville, Cleveland’s near west side and comparable areas of other American cities, he is not qualified!
This is where the real “Joe” the plumbers, waitresses, sales people, hospital workers, cleaning people, bus drivers, and other “Joes” and “Jaynes” live. I know because my father was a waiter (now they are called servers) and my mother was a secretary working for the Defense Supply Center Region Cleveland (Fed. Govt.) and I was raised in Glenville.
I might not have grown up in Sarah Palin’s “patriotic part” of America but I assure you that my parents were patriotic and loved America as do the millions of folks that still live in inner cities around the country.
When Cindy McCain challenged Barack Obama to walk in her shoes, I thought, I challenge you to walk in my shoes or the shoes of any of the ordinary Americans your party now claims to represent. I have seen Senator Barack Obama walk in the shoes of ordinary Americans during the primary season. He began his career in the South Side of Chicago.
It’s one thing to say you put America first. Barack Obama has shown that he puts Americans first.
Time Daily News Article today by Amy Sullivan.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1851777-3,00.html
No matter what he says, it is a matter of public record that John McCain has been an exponent of deregulation throughout his career. He has stated that the health care system would be better if it were deregulated like the banking industry. Events in recent weeks have shown what a folly that would be.
McCain has stated repeatedly he is against government control of health care, while he himself is the beneficiary of a government-run health care program. I am certain the health care afforded him as a US Senator has been a source of comfort with his many health issues.
It would be a disaster if McCain were allowed to direct our health care system—not only for seniors but for everyone. We already have folks choosing between food and medicine, and cutting their own prescribed dosages to save money.
We need a president who understands what Americans need. Barack Obama's own mother had to deal with a broken health care system and he is committed to fixing it. He will make health care affordable for all Americans. He is the only candidate I’ve heard talk about prevention as a way to stem the rising costs of health care. It's one thing to say you put America first; it's another to actually do it.
Obama wants us to be healthier, but if we do get sick and need care, he wants us to be able to afford it without losing our home or going bankrupt. He has a comprehensive plan to pull us out of this economic crisis as well as reform our health care system. His recovery plan puts us first, not Wall Street.
Obama is the right choice for me and all of America. He is the leader who will put all Americans first.
John McCain is out of touch with regular Americans when it comes to the economy. Early on in this campaign he admitted that he did not know much about the economy. Considering that we are in the worst economic crisis of our time we cannot afford to allow him to try to muddle through this mess.
Remember the old "voodoo economics" of John McCain's favorite president, Ronald Reagan. It didn't work for families back then and it certainly won't work now decades later.
Barack Obama has a 21st century solution that will help to rebuild the middle class. He will pass a middle class tax cut that gives 95% of working Americans up to $1,000 more in their pockets. He will crack down on predatory lenders and punish corporations who send American jobs overseas. More importantly he will redirect our dependence on foreign oil by developing alternative sources of energy that will protect our environment and create thousands of jobs that cannot be sent overseas.
Joe Biden has said that this country needs more than a hero, we need a leader. What we need is the right kind of leader. Barack Obama has the vision and wisdom to lead as well as the brilliance to come up with real solutions, not gimmicks, which will result in a brighter future for us, our children and our grandchildren
No matter what he says,it is a matter of public record that John McCain has been a an exponent of deregulation throughout his career. He has stated that the healthcare system would be better if it were deregulated like the banking industry! Events in recent weeks have shown us what a folly that would have been.
McCain has stated repeatedly that he is against goverment control of our healthcare while he himself is the beneficiary of a government run healcare program. I am certain that the healthcare afforded him as a US Senator has been a source of comfort to him with all his health issues.
I am a recent retiree and will soon come under the medicare system which I have been contributing to for many years. It would be a disaster if John McCain were allowed to direct our healthcare system not only for seniors but for all of us. We already have folks deciding between food and medicine and cutting their own prescribed dosages down to save money.
We need a president who understands what real Americans need. Barack Obama's own mother had to deal with a broken health care system and he is committed to fix it. He will make health care affordable for all Americans and he is the only candidate I have every heard talk about prevention as a way to stem the rising costs of health care. It's one thing to say you put America first it's another to actually do it!
Barack wants us to be healthier but if we do get sick or need an operation, he wants us to be able to afford it withough losing our home or going bankrupt. What a concept!
Barack Obama has a comprehensive plan to pull us out of this economic crisis as well as reform our healthcare system in a way that will help all Americans. His recovery plan puts us first, not Wall Street.
Barack Obama is clearly the right choice for me and all of America. He is the leader who will put all Americans first.
Twenty days and praying.
Obama/Biden '08
I am old enough to remember the old "voodoo economics" of John McCain's favorite president, Ronald Reagan. It didn't work for me and my family then and it certainly won't work now decades later.
Joe Biden has said that this country needs more than a hero, we need a leader. What we need is the right kind of leader. Barack Obama has the vision and wisdom to lead as well as the brilliance to come up with real solutions, not gimmicks, that will result in a brighter future for us, our children and our grandchildren
Twenty two days and praying.
A 106-year-old American nun living in a convent in Rome could well be the oldest person to vote in the 2008 US Presidential election.
Sister Cecilia Gaudette, who last voted for President Eisenhower in 1952, has registered to vote and says she will vote for Democrat Barack Obama.
Although hard of hearing, she keeps herself informed by reading newspapers and watching TV at the convent.
"I'm encouraged by Senator Obama," she says.
"I've never met him, but he seems to be a good man with a good private life. That's the first thing. Then he must be able to govern," she adds.
Sitting in her modest office in the convent where she has lived for the past 50 years, the diminutive nun appears uninterested in the row inside the American Catholic church over Senator Obama's support for pro-choice policies on abortion.
Asked about her hopes for the US under an Obama presidency, she says: "Peace abroad. I don't worry about the Iraq war because I can't do anything about it. Lord knows how it will end."
"It is very complicated," she said. "Those Eastern people are not like we are."
But despite taking part in the 4 November election, Sister Cecilia does not intend to return to the US.
"I have no plans for the future. I am too old to go back to the US. Life has changed too much."
But she still watches "very important events" on TV. The election comes under this category.
"Their 44-acre spread in Ojai, Calif., is all-organic. Their home runs on solar power, which Hagman said knocked their electric bill from $40,000 a year to $13." (Oh yeah, it's organic, too!)
What?!? Are we nuts?!? We better hurry up and elect Barack Obama President of the United States so we can "bail" us out!
Twenty four days and praying.
Go Obama
What You See Is What You See and What You Hear, Maybe?
What struck me this morning as I was watching Senator Barack Obama speaking to a huge crowd in Dayton, Ohio is the tenor that this presidential campaign has taken as of late.
Recently individuals attending Sarah Palin or John McCain events have been shouting out quite hateful and venomous remarks. I listened this morning on several television programs where various reporters have questioned whether the speaker is obligated to denounce this behavior as it occurs even though statements have been issued by the McCain campaign deploring such comments. The reasoning used by the McCain representatives repeatedly has been, “the candidate cannot control the folks in the audience. The speaker cannot hear these remarks from the podium.” Now, while I was listening to Senator Obama this morning, sure enough someone yelled something from the audience. Senator Obama not only heard but engaged in conversation with the individual(s). There apparently was a problem with the sound system.
This reminded me of the countless times I had heard Senator Obama respond to individuals shouting out by saying, “I love you back!” I have heard Senator Obama, Senator Clinton, Senator Biden and many others engage in back and forth conversations with “individuals” shouting out from the audience. Anyone who has attended a concert, other than classical, has heard individuals shout out requests oftentimes at the behest of the performer. And, of course, we will never forget the nearly career ending melt down of Michael Richards (Seinfeld) who was responding to “individual(s) shouting from the audience.
It is curious to me that in general people who are speaking before very large audiences are able to hear individuals shout out from the audience yet Senator McCain and Governor Palin are not able to. Furthermore, it really bothered me that once the comments were made both Republican candidates paused their remarks, seemingly in response to the yelled comments, and smiled before going on. Is this is not giving approval or do my eyes deceive me?
If what I see is what I get, I see two candidates, Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin, who either encourage despicable comments from constituents at their events and or make no move to denounce these comments as they are being made.
Today some Las Vegas supporters took to the streets to illustrate the difference between Barack Obama's Tax Plan and John McCain's Tax Plan using shopping carts! The full carts showed the extra groceries each family would be able to purchase each month with Obama. The empty cart represented what we will not get with John McCain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFAoaSLkJBY
Go Obama!
Today some supporters used shopping carts to illustrate the difference between an Obama tax plan and a McCain tax plan to Nevada families. Most families will have an extra $83 to spend on groceries under Obama.
